Store Pictures in MSSQL or on File System?

I’m in the process of creating an ASP.NET web solution with images and hopefully decent traffic. My goal is performance. Do you think I should save pictures on the file system or in the MSSQL database?

My recommendation is to store it in SQL server, and believe me, if performance is your goal, then do not read the files when it is requested, instead build DLL's that can pre-load most of your images into your memory at startup and use the images from these API's when a request is received (a kind of image caching modules custom made to the pattern of your portal).

I would agree with Brett, Built in file-streams for SQL server 2008 and above should do nicely. IF your using another RDBMS vendor, please post to discuss alternatives as each vendor uses different tech and definitions of the process.

Actually, that issue is faced by many developers everyday. Do I save objects as BLOBs in the database or do I store them in the file system and rely on pointers? I have seen CADD vendors do both. I have seen publishing companies vary on this, too. The motion picture industry finds it is safer to store BLOBs in the database for security and replication not to mention the alternatives: decay and theft.